Whiffletree-coupling



'(No Model.)

J. O'BRIEN.

WHIFFLETREE COUPLING.

Patented Nov. 8,1881.

l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI E.

JOHN OBRIEN, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

WH l FFLETREE-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 249,252, dated November8, 1881.

Application filed July 26, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN OBRIEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Im provements inWhiffletrees and Cross- Bar Couplings; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a partof this specification.

The device consists of two plates having at each end perforated lugs, bywhich they are secured, one to the under side of the cross-bar and theother to the upper face of the whiffletree. Each'plate has a centralboss'or projection bearing upon one another when the coupling is inposition. On the inner side of one plate is an enlarged centralrecess,into which loosely fits a disk having pins on one of its sides,said pins fitting into correspondin gopenings in the other plate,thereby holding said plates together. An orifice passes centrallythrough the plates, disk, and the whiffletree or bars to be coupled, andreceives a bolt having on one end a screw-thread, on which works a nutto hold the bars and parts together.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a pair of barshaving my improved coupling applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a verticallongitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a top view of the couplingdevice.

Arepresents the upper, and B the lower, bar to be coupled.

C and 1) represent two plates, having at their ends flanges or lugs a,perforated at I), through which screws, bolts, or other suitableretaining devices, 0, are passed to secure said plates to the bars. Eachplate has a central boss or projection, E, which affords abearing-surface upon which the bars A B mayturn. The plate C has, asshown in Fig.2, an enlarged central recess, d, within which fits looselya disk, F. Both the recess (1 and the disk F gradually diminish in sizecircumferentially from top to just fits the plate 0 loosely.

tightly within the orifices f f in the'plate'D, and serve to hold saiddisk securely to said plate.

A slot, g, passes centrally through the disk, the plates, and the bars.A bolt, it, passes througli'this slot g, and is held in position by anut, t, to secure said parts together. The mode of application andoperation of the device is as follows: The plate D being secured to theupper face of the bar or whiffletree B, the disk is inserted within therecess (1 in the plate 0. This plate is then secured by the screws 0 tothe bar A. The two plates C D are then brought together at E, and thepins 0 forced within the orifices f. The screwbolt h is then passedthrough the central orifice, g, the nut i screwed thereon, and the wholesecured together. Each plate 0 D is rigidly secured to its respectivebar. The disk F is rigidly secured by means of the pins e to the plateD, but is loose within the recessed plate C, so that on either barturning it will have free rotary movement on said disk.

1 am aware that whiffletree-couplings have been constructed of flangedplates, with cen-' tral bosses or projections and a disk fitting withinone of said plates, on which the other plate and its attached bar mayrotate; but I am not aware that any disk corresponding to my disk F hasyet been constructed with pins rigidly secured to or cast therewith. Theadvantages of such construction over those where the disk is secured inplace by removable'pins or screws are, that the device can beconstructed more cheaply; no screw or pin holes have to be formedin thedisk; the screw-threaded or other pins are dispensed with; there is nodanger of my pins 0 becoming loose or lost; the disk can be more easilyand speedily removed and the whiffietree uncoupled than where severalscrew-pins have first to be removed, and the coupling can also be morequickly applied in my case than would be possible where such removablepins are used. Having thus described my invention,'what I claim as newtherein is i 1. The coupling herein described, consisting of flangedplates 0 D, having central boss or to fit the orifices f, and theretaining device h 10 projection, E, and the disk F, having rigidi,substantia11yas and forthe purposesetforth.

pins 6 projecting from one face thereof, sub- In testimony whereof Iaflix my signature in stantially as and for the purpose set forth.presence of two witnesses.

2. The combination of the plate G having central boss, E, and recess d,the plateD, hav- JOHN O BRIEN' ing central boss, E, and orifices f g,the cen- Witnesses: trally-perforated disk F, having rigid pins 0 e W.S. BUCKMASTER,

projecting from one face thereof, and adapted ARTHUR L. HOWARD.

